Our Practice Providers
Amber Monroe, LMFT
Amber Monroe is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist located in La Mesa, CA. Amber is passionate about helping clients find peace, health, and balance in their lives. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work at San Diego State University in 2001, followed by obtaining her master’s degree from the University of Phoenix in 2005. Amber then worked in the mental health field as an associate intern until she obtained her Marriage and Family License in 2010.
Throughout her career, she has strategically worked in diverse mental health settings, in order to increase her effectiveness, i.e. teen group homes, foster/adoption agencies, residential eating disorder facilities, psychiatric hospitals, regional centers, crisis houses, and Kaiser psychiatry. In 2017, Amber began her private practice, specializing in trauma, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and codependency. Amber’s approach to therapy combines evidence-based practices, including Eye Movement Reprocessing Desensitization (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Amber believes that many of her clients experience mental health symptoms because of traumatic or negatively impactful events in their lives.
Christine Alvarenga, LPCC
Christine Capuano, LPCC is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, an EMDR certified therapist, and a consultant-in-training. Her areas of specialty are eating disorders and trauma for adults aged 18+. Christine received supervision from Amber Monroe from 2018 to 2020. Christine began working with eating disorders in 2014, and has worked at residential, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient levels of care. She has experience treating adults, adolescents, individuals, groups, couples, and families.
While completing her practicum traineeship at an adult women's eating disorder residential treatment center, she piloted a program for individual Dialectical Behavior Therapy skill training, and has 8 of years experience in DBT skill coaching. In 2019, Christine supported the launch of a program that integrated trauma- informed modalities, including EMDR and neurofeedback, into eating disorder treatment. Christine has been practicing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing since 2019 and became a certified EMDR therapist in 2021. She has been trained in the Flash Technique, which helps quickly reduce the level of disturbance for severely painful or distressing memories. She has also taken advanced trainings for working with attachment trauma and dissociation. If you would like to work with Christine, please feel free to contact her directly at calvarenga@healingbalancetherapy.com.
Michele Bussell, LMFT, APCC
Michele specializes in anxiety and mood disorders. Michele uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and is trained in Brain Spotting, (BSP) a focused treatment advanced in brain body therapy which works by identifying, processing, and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional body pain.
Therapy with me:
• The client is the expert of their own experience.
• The client is doing their best with what they have to work with.
• The client can explore feelings without judgement and allow their whole self into the work.
Michele Bussell is a licensed marriage and family therapist and registered associate professional clinical counselor. Michele earned her master’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene in 2019 and has experience working with children, adolescents, TAY (Transitional aged youth), and adults.
Michele has worked in crisis residential treatment programs, school-based counseling programs, adult drug court substance programs, and behavioral health centers.
